Sovereign Grace Doctrines
Concerning 'THE GOSPEL' - JESUS CHRIST
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The very notable conversion of a certain Samaritan woman to Jesus Christ is recorded in John chapter 4.
Jesus Christ here converted a person of the lowest sort. 1. She was of the lowest race of her day: a Samaritan. In first century Palestine, where she resided, the major racial division was between Jews and Gentiles. Palestine was a Jewish land, but under the rule of the Roman Empire. Jews harbored great resentment toward their Gentile masters. But Jews resented Samaritans even more, because in them was found a mixture of Israelite and Gentile blood. (The inter-marrying of Israelites and Gentiles in Samaria from 722 BC is described in 2 Kings 17.) This mixture of the races in Samaria made the Samaritans so odious to the pureblood Jews of Judea and Galilee that it was freely acknowledged that "Jews have no dealings with Samaritans" (John 4:9; cp. 8:48).
Jews despised Samaritans so much that they would not set foot in Samaria. Samaria lay west of the Jordan River between Galilee and Judea, the northern and southern Jewish territories. But instead of taking the direct route when traveling from one territory to the other, thereby going through Samaria, Jews went out of their way to travel along the east bank of the Jordan River.
Not so with Jesus Christ! "He needed to go through Samaria" (John 4:4). This Samaritan woman was chosen from eternity to His salvation (2 Thessalonians 2:13). He therefore had to go into her despised land to find and convert her (Luke 19:10). 2. She was of the lower gender in men's eyes: a woman. There has been from the creation an equality between man and woman in God's eyes. But ungodly men disregard this equality, considering themselves as lords and masters, and their women as property and servants. God was not highly regarded in Samaria (see 1 Kings 12:25-33; 2 Kings 12:24-41). And where God is not highly regarded, the same is generally true of women as well.
Jesus Christ acts otherwise in this conversion. In this place devoid of the gospel, He first converts a woman, and then uses her in the conversion of her countrymen (John 4:39-42). 3. She was of the lowest morals: sexually immoral. Sexual immorality is a violation of God's law (Exodus 20:14; Matthew 5:27-30) and a sin against Himself, self, and others. It violates the divine conception of marriage (Genesis 2:20-24). It is so odious to God that He forbids those guilty of it from inheriting His kingdom, and even prohibits His own people from making it a subject of conversation (Ephesians 5:3-5).
Holy Scriptures make it very clear that this Samaritan woman was sexually immoral. She had been married to five different men, and was now living with a paramour outside the bounds of holy matrimony (John 4:16-18). Although this may be acceptable behavior to the flagrantly ungodly of this day, it is shameful to the godly of every age and to those who highly esteem fidelity in marriage and the institution of the family. This is probably the reason why she came to draw water from the public well "about the sixth hour" (John 4:6), high noon according to the Jewish computation of time. The more respectable women would draw water in the cooler hours of the morning or the evening.
Just as Jesus Christ "needed to go through Samaria" in order to minister to a despised race, He needed to be at this well at the hour when this sexually immoral woman would be there. He did not shun her. Rather, he requested some of her water (John 4:9), and offered to her some of His own -- the spiritual "living water" of salvation "springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:10-14). And He caused her to thirst for it (John 14:15), and freely gave it to her and to all her countrymen who believed in Him (John 4:39-42).
Jesus Christ yet converts persons of the lowest sorts. This is good news for despised races (Isaiah 45:22; Acts 1:8), for women as well as for men (Acts 5:14; 8:12; see Galatians 3:28 & Colossians 3:11), and for the most immoral (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
Will you through faith in Jesus Christ be converted to Him?
Your servant for Jesus' sake.
Address all questions to pastor
Daniel E. Parks (2 Corinthians 4:5) e-mail RedeemerBC@aol.com
Pastor, Redeemer Baptist Church
2801 Cleveland Boulevard, Louisville, KY 40206 / 502.899-9205
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